The Diceman Cometh

the dice settled down after a shaky 1st.
the key stat -- 0 walks.
it looked like the plan was to stay ahead in the count, and he did that for most of his outing...
much more betterer than his last start!

dice thoroughly man-handled the hapless Tribe to the tune of 8 shut-out innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks, K'ing 5...

Of course he did.
I had dropped him from my fanasy baseball team.


Now I've picked him up again.

yeah, he's a sensitive kid...

bets on how long G keeps him this time?

(i got two starts)

looks like he will have 4 interleague starts in a row coming up, followed by ballymore.
he could get on a roll...

dice pitched pretty well today, got a W.
tito, obviously not trusting him with a slim lead, yanked him after 6+ innings (2 runs, 6 hits, 0 walks, 5 K's) and only 88 pitches...

ditto last night's start in oakland --
6 2/3 innings, 1 run on only 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 K's, 89 pitches...

Now they just need to bump Tampa Bay off the ladder from their position above them.

As Spiro Agnew would say, I'm a "nattering nabob of negativism", 'cause I predict Dice-K's next start that he'll be lit up for 5 runs in 3 innings, if he even makes his next reg start (injury). I'd love to be proven wrong, being a Red Sawx fan but I can hardly recall back-to-back quality starts from Dice-K. Does anyone else?

he prolly hasn't had two in a row since '08, when he went 18-3.
they tweaked his pre-game warm-up routine recently... (bahsin.com)

my glass tends to be half-full , so i'm expecting good things from him the rest of the way...

pitched a dandy last night (8.0 innings, 5 hits 1 run, 2 walks, 6 K's)...

He's an enigma with riddle wrapped in the middle. I used to think he's was trying to be too fine. Maybe prior to 2 yrs ago that was his problem; however, now I think it's that his arm has pitched too many innings. It's a tired arm - particularly last yr after he had that WBC stint.

Also, I think there's something to be said about 'muscle memory' issue. His body was programmed for that Japanese baseball (different feel and stitches etc) and their mound and park differences. His transition to US parks and pro ball has been peculiar.

then there's the impenetrable language difference. How do you reach him with a language/culture sensitive coach..and get him to talk about his injuries and technique. His emotions almost never show. how do you reach a guy like that who's being paid zillions and tell him you got to change your technique and training?

Of course, with Youkilis down for the season, the most consistent hitter Sawx have, it's going to be tough sledding. As for the AL East race, Yankees and TB Rays are more talented players and seem they're for real. However, somehow the players that keep showing on the field seem to be hanging in regardless of the decimation. Put a healthy Beltre, Pedroia & Ellsbury back on the field..and a decent-hitting Ortiz , who knows what can happen?!

after he blew out his shoulder last year, he realized he had better get with the (strengthening) program if he wanted to resume playing here...
don & jerry commented that he rarely throws as hard (95 mph) as he was at times last night, even though his fastball was hyped to consistently be in the upper 90's...
he does throw a lot, but there is a (old) school of thought that the more you throw, the better your arm will be -- see nolan ryan and the texas pitching staff...
it seems like the sawx starters are being allowed to get up to 115-120 pitches this time of year, which is prolly a concession to the weak middle-relief.
tito wants them to go 7, so bard can pitch the 8th, pap the 9th...

very tough going the rest of the way without youuuk.
but lowell is an above-average fill-in, and should be fresh enough to finish out the year strong...

Dice-K: Just a speculative theory but it makes me wonder if and when a player refuses to go the steroid route if you wind up with results like Dice-K over the last 2 yrs? He may have chosen to not use steroids, let's say, but many batters he faced didn't choose that route, so he gets rocked. It's not a level playing field.

Or is it just his dogged refusal to change his training routine and/or alter his delivery and pitch selection?

I think Saw should wait out this season for results, but at what point when do you toss in the towel?

I love Lowell (old school), but with that hip he still can't run. I think that hurts them/him in the long run. The likes of Youk is more than what he contributes stats wise. He's got character and toughness that rubs off on the team especially with the younger players. Though, the Sawx at the beginning of the season had one of the oldest teams (team average age around 32) in the league.

We agree about starters they have patching up the middle innings instead of the clowns that they have but Sawx still need that solid Okajima middle-guy should things go south big time in a key game with a starter. Let's see how this Yankee-series goes. So far very good .

i guess there's no way of knowing if dice was on the 'roids back in japan.
by the time he got here in '07 testing was already in place, so i don't think the hitters had that as an advantage...

don't think management will sit idly by -- hopefully they think the team is good enough to make the playoffs, with a few minor tweaks...

if lowell needs a rest, they have the luxury of sliding victor over to 1st base.
cash is a great defensive catcher who can't hit-fer-****.
they might call up saltalamacchia to be the primary backup...

the yankees are in a mini-funk.
if we get strong starting pitching, and enough timely hitting, we should take 3 outta 4 this weekend...

I agree on all those points. Thanks for the peek into the minors as far as middle relief possibilities.

There's lots of patching going on for the Sawx, as always, but there's only so many patches you can have for a 'tire' with which you're trying to roll into the playoffs. They've got to beat out the talent-laden strongboy Rays for that Wild Card. And, if they don't beat Yanks in this series, I think the pressure on them to play say .625 or better for the 50+ games is remote. Wouldn't you say?

Now, if you are talking a meaningful trade to put them over the top...well...ahhhh...? For whom? What position? A hitter that has stellar defense?

the sawx have to start beating the teams that they're supposed to beat.
injuries or not, splitting a home series with cleveland was inexcusable.
tito's philosophy has been "one game at a time, one series at a time,
take care of our business because we can't worry about what our rivals are doing".

theo may go after an outfielder as insurance against the oft-injured drew.
i think they should get adam dunn -- if nothing else, he could be a late-game threat off the bench...

Freakin' Dunn! Lord, Save us! He's far closer to resembling Manny than Youk as he will never be mistaken for a man with passion for the game or for winning.

If Nats were to eat 1/2 his salary --- a guarded mebbe! And for next year..too!

I've got familiarity with him as I've been following Nats since the season started. As a Red Sawx fan of many years, I don't want him (or his inflated salary) on my playoff team. Though his HR-per- at-bat is amongst the highest of active and non-active players, his fielding at either 1B and LF are among the worst ever. He still strikes out too much in the clutch.

My vote is no to Dunn.

okay then...